By the time you finish reading this article, anotherlesbian, gay or bisexual service member will befired from the United States military. The Pentagonissues two pink slips to military personnel everyday . . . not because they are unqualified or unwillingto serve, but simply because of who they are. In fact,since 1993, nearly twelve thousand gay Americanshave been dismissed from the military under thefederal â€œDonâ€™t Ask, Donâ€™t Tellâ€� law that bans openlygay personnel from serving.

Under that same law, military personnel are notallowed to â€œtellâ€� anyone about their sexualorientation. They must remain closeted to theirfamily, friends and loved ones. If they deployoverseas, they must write messages home in code:changing pronouns, inventing key words, andfinding creative ways to say those three mostmeaningful words: â€œI love you.â€� If they remainstateside, they must be excessively careful whenthey are off-duty. Going out for a romantic dinnerwith a partner, planning a commitment ceremonyor trying to raise a family can mean the end of anotherwise promising career.

In short, lesbian and gay service members musthide who they are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They remain largely voiceless and invisible, and while they fight to defend Americaâ€™s freedoms, many of those same liberties are denied them right here at home.

But Army Sergeant Darren Manzella has had enough of that, and he has become a sort of one-soldier crusade to help end â€œDonâ€™t Ask, Donâ€™t Tellâ€� once and for all.

Sergeant Manzellaâ€™s journey began last summer, when he received a phone call from Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a non-profit legal aid and advocacy organization that assists gay troops and lobbies Congress to lift the ban. SLDN had been contacted by the national newsmagazine 60 Minutes about putting together a â€œnewâ€� story on an old premise: What is it like to live under â€œDonâ€™t Ask, Donâ€™t Tell,â€� especially during a time of war? Manzella had a unique twist on the topic, and a story that would help show the real impact gay service members have on the countryâ€™s national security and the changing attitudes inside the American armed forces.

Manzella first contacted the attorneys at SLDN after an anonymous â€œtipsterâ€� threatened to out him to his command. Recalling the core values of the Army, instilled in him when he first enlisted for duty, he decided to live up to that creed of honesty and integrity. Sergeant Manzella decided to stay one step ahead of his accuser and tell his command that, yes, he is gay.

Sergeant Manzella presented his command with proof-positive of his sexual orientation. He provided the Army with photos and even videos of him with his partner, and shared emails, letters and other communications that clearly showed he was, indeed, in a same-sex relationship.

His commandâ€™s response? â€œNo evidenceâ€� that Sergeant Manzella is gay. The Army told him to return to work, doing his duties as a medic, and to continue serving our country in uniform.Relieved that he was now open and honest with his command, Manzella then began coming out to his fellow troops. They responded with overwhelming support, undermining tired accusations that openly gay troops diminish unit morale or cohesion. In fact, Manzellaâ€™s buddies regularly spent time with him and his boyfriend, even attending a house-warming party they threw at their off-base home in Austin, Texas.

All the while, Sergeant Manzella continued his service in the Army as an out, proud gay man and an accomplished solider who was respected by his colleagues and his command.

Then, in May, the phone call from SLDNâ€™s communications department came: Would Darren be willing to share his experience on national television with CBS News correspondent Lesley Stahl? The story, SLDN was clear, could mean the end of Manzellaâ€™s career. Coming out on national television, in such a prominent way, would certainly be a violation of the â€œDonâ€™t Tellâ€� prong of the law and could result in Manzella being one of two service members to receive a pink slip that day.

But Manzella, no stranger to tough battles after tours of duty in Kuwait and Iraq, accepted the challenge without barely a concern. â€œMy decision came from the immense opportunity given to me to supply a voice for the thousands of men and women in uniform that continue to be silenced by the policy,â€� he told Ambiente. â€œIf anyone were a role model, it would be these individuals â€“ my brothers and sisters in arms who charge into battle and sacrifice so much of themselves so that our fellow citizens can live in freedom and security.â€�

Several months later Manzella - a gay medicwho had finished more than one hundred12-hour tours on the streets of Baghdad,providing life-saving medical treatment toAmerican troops and Iraqi civilians â€“ wassitting down with Stahl in a hotel room inKuwait, telling his story.The militaryâ€™s attitudes toward lesbian andgay Americans, he told CBS, were rapidlychanging. Manzella was not harassed, andin fact was fully supported by his fellowtroops. He was not threatened with dismissal,but rather retained despite being completelyout to his command. And he wasnâ€™t erodingunit cohesion, but saving the lives of hisfellow troops inside Iraq.

His interview was the first time an active-duty, openly gay soldier had ever spoken to reporters from a war zone. It was, as SLDN billed the story, â€œ60 Minutes to change history.â€�

By the time the program finished airing on December 16, Manzella, already a hero for his work on the battlefield, was a hero to a new generation of LGBT Americans . . . and more than a few heterosexual troops. But heâ€™s taking his new-found status as a role model in stride, shyly responding to questions about what his appearance on the show meant to so many people.

â€œSince the 60 Minutes segment aired in December, I have received a massive amount of e-mails from individuals both military and civilian thanking me for speaking up against â€˜Donâ€™t Ask, Donâ€™t Tell,â€™â€� he said. â€œSome have described me as a role model to them but I would like to think that I am just an example of a person who strongly believes in something and am not afraid to stand up and voice those beliefs. I know the stress and pressure that accompanies being a gay man in the military and I hope that my story proves that this policy is outdated and needs to be repealed. If I am seen as a role model, I hope it is for all of the men and women who are afraid to show who they truly are. I truly believe that every individual should be proud of who they are and what they believe.â€�

He acknowledges, however, that when the time is right, coming out can be a powerful tool to change hearts, minds and, just maybe, a little history, too. â€œComing out to family, friends and society as being gay or lesbian is a very difficult decision for many individuals to make and unfortunately many people, like myself, have preconceived notions that family society will react negatively to them coming outâ€� he says. â€œ In my opinion, I believe that the time to come out is when the individual is comfortable with their own sexual orientation. It took me many years to accept the fact that I am gay and even longer to admit it to my family. However, once I did that I felt a huge relief from hiding and lying about who I really was and my family and friends could also feel the relief. I became extremely proud of who I am and it is an amazing feeling when you can finally be honest with yourself and be accepted by those who are important to you as well.â€�Those important people include parents, and Manzellaâ€™s family has been overwhelmingly supportive along his journey. His mother, Nancy, accompanied Manzella to Washington January, where he spoke with reporters about his experience in the Army, and his work to repeal the militaryâ€™s ban.

â€œWhen I came out to my parents I was extremely nervous, although now that I look back over their reaction I donâ€™t know why I was,â€� Manzella says. â€œI told my father first and he told me that he loves me no matter what and that all he and my mother want is for me to be happy. From the moment that I told them I have felt the bond between us tighten. The same goes for the relationship I have with both of my brothers and the rest of my family. Once I was finally able to admit who I truly was and dispense with the self-doubt, lying and hiding, I felt like a new person. Today I am a proud, confident man because I know people love me for who I really am as a person, regardless of my sexual orientation.â€�

For her part, Nancy Manzella says her son is a better person since he came out, and she blushes with pride â€“ even occasionally tearing up â€“ when she speaks of her pride for her son and her admiration for the courage he showed in speaking out on 60 Minutes. And coming from a close-knit family in rural upstate New York, Darren understands how fortunate he is to have his mom and dadâ€™s support.

â€œI am from a very small community and I grew up doing what every other boy did,â€� he told Ambiente. â€œI played football, I worked on the farm, I watched movies with friends. There were a few individuals I encountered as I progressed through high school that I thought of as gay or lesbian. To be honest I was always intrigued. At this point in my life I had little concept of the gay lifestyle and was obviously still in denial concerning my own sexuality, but speaking and interacting with these individuals and realize that the stereotypes portrayed on television or in the movies were not correct. These people I saw everyday were just that, everyday people that I had grown up with my entire life.â€�

And today, his momâ€™s phone still rings with words of encouragement and pride from friends, neighbors, family members and others who share her pride for what Darren has done. Darren says he is still receiving that â€œacceptance and unconditional love that I have experienced from my entire family for my entire life.â€�

And the Army, for its part, is showing Manzella a little love now, too. Since the 60 Minutes segment aired, Darren, who is on his second enlistment in the Army, has returned home from the Middle East. He continues to report for duty every day, and has received orders to transfer to Fort Drumm, near his family in New York, this spring.

â€œI have yet to hear a reaction from the members of my command,â€� he reports. â€œEach day I go to work and wonder if I will be called to see my commander but nothing has happened. My colleagues are supportive and many are curious as to how I am treated among other Soldiers. I have received overwhelming support from peers in the workplace and many of my supervisors. The amount of acceptance among my peers and colleagues was surprising to me at first. Now I realize, along with I feel the majority of the Army, that sexual orientation in the military is not the issue that was previously speculated or that continues to be enforced by this outdated policy.â€�

He remains hopeful, however, that he can continue his service in the Army, and is optimistic that the day is drawing close when other gay Americans will also be able to serve openly and honestly. â€œI think that the repeal of this policy is inevitable, it is just unfortunate that it remains such a controversial topic,â€� he said in his interview with us. â€œEqually unfortunate is that the majority of groups and individuals supporting this policy are not in the ranks of the military and are not members of the same generation of the men and women fighting in todayâ€™s Armed Forces. I think we have open-minded and accepting service members in all branches of the military that are honored to be protecting our country and standing side by side with gay and lesbian comrades who have proven themselves in battle and can perform their job to their best ability. A personâ€™s loyalty, honor and integrity make them great, not their sexual orientation.â€�

Congress is increasingly onManzellaâ€™s side. The MilitaryReadiness Enhancement Act,a Congressional bill to repealâ€œDonâ€™t Ask, Donâ€™t Tell,â€� is nowsupported by more than 140lawmakers, including Miami-area RepublicanCongresswomanIleana Ros-Lehtinen,who has been a strongand outspoken advocatefor lesbian and gay militarymembers.

Manzella, however, is lookingtoward life after the Army aswell. When his currentenlistment is finished, in2011, he plans to continuehis work helping others.

â€œAfter my career in the Army is complete, I will definitely continue to work for the repeal of the â€˜Donâ€™t Ask, Donâ€™t Tellâ€™ policy if it is still in effect,â€� he says. â€œProfessionally I would like to remain in the medical field. I have experience as a civilian psychiatric counselor in addition to my emergency medicine training and experiences in the Army. I have been in administrative positions since my return from my first deployment to Iraq, but look forward to getting back into the patient treatment and care that I have such a passion for.â€�Manzellaâ€™s 60 Minutes have also inspired passion in others. SLDN reports that more and more veterans are joining the effort to lift the ban, and expects renewed attention to the issue in Washington after the 2008 elections.

And when the day comes that â€œDonâ€™t Ask, Donâ€™t Tellâ€� is assigned to the dust bin of history, it will be in no small part due to the courage of Manzella . . . a dedicated soldier who decided that it was, indeed, time to tell.

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Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) is a national, non-profit legal services, watchdog and policy organization dedicated to ending discrimination against and harassment of military personnel affected by "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and related forms of intolerance.www.sldn.org

Steve RallsDirector of Communications - SLDNSteve Ralls joined SLDN in 1999 and currently serves as Director of Communications and serves as liaison to members of the press corps, SLDN spokesperson and works in formulating and implementing communications policy. He also serves on the steering committee for OUTfront, the LGBT program of the Nobel Prize-winning organization Amnesty International.Photo by Judy G. Rolfe